Improvement in mechanisms for disengaging horses from whiffletrees



JACOB B.--GOLDSMITH.,

Improvement in Mechanism 'fur Disengaging Horses from Whiflietrees.

N0. 27,760. Patent-edlune1h1872.

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Witnesses. Inventor m PHm-UT/MGRAEIIIU m m: Inseam/3 moans.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB B. GOLDSMITH, OF ROGKPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMEIlT IN MECHANISMS FOR DISENGAGING HORSES FROM WHIFFLETREES.

' Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 127,760, dated June 11, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB B. GOLDSMITH, of Rockport, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Mechanism for Disenga gin g Carriage-Shafts; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specification, is a description of myinvention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

The invention relates to such an arrangement of the whiffletree of a carriage as shall enable it to be operated from the carriage in such manner as to insure the disconnection of the traces, when desirable, for which purpose I fasten the whiffletree to a plate which is hinged to the cross-bar of the shafts, the plate being fastened in position by a slide-bolt passing over it and through eyebolts, and looking the plate down to the bar, the traces hooking over hooks at the ends of the whiffletrees being retained by springsand the slidebolt being fastened to a line running to the inside of the carriage, so that by a sharp pull upon the line the bolt may be withdrawn. \Vhen the carriage is being drawn, if the horse runs away the bolt is thus withdrawn and the strain upon the whiffietree will then reverse the position of the whiffletree-plate and whiffle- -tree, and the traces will then disconnect from the whiflietree, freeing the running horse from the carriage. It is in this construction of the disengaging mechanism that my invention consists.

The drawing represents a pair of shafts, a whiflletree, and disengaging mechanism embodying my invention.

A shows a plan of the shafts. vertical section.

a b denote the two shafts, connected by a bar, 0; (1 denotes the whiffletree, fastened to the plate e. This plate is hinged to the front edge of the bar 0, and lies fiat upon the bar, being held thereto by the slide bolt f, which B is a central passes over the plate and through eyes of eyebolts or staples g, the slide bolt being attached at one end to a line whose opposite end is within the carriage, the line passing through a suitable guide, h.

When the parts are thus connected the whiffletree is in position to securely hold the traces, which are fastened upon the hooks z, and are kept from slipping therefrom by springs k. When the bolt is withdrawn the strain upon the whiftletree carries it into the position shown at B and by the dotted lines at A, and the traces will then draw oil from the whiffletree-hooks, the springs yielding to let them pass. By these means it may always be in the power of a driver to disconnect the shafts and horse when the horse is running away and cannot be held.

The device is simple, reliable, and inexpensive.

I claim The reversing whiffletree, fastened to the plate 0, which plate 6 is hinged to the bar 0, and is fastened by a slide-bolt, f, substantially as shown and described.

JACOB B. GOLDSMITH.

Witnesses FRANCIS GOULD, M. W. FROTHINGHAM. 

